Land Registry: Revised Framework Document

Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the revised framework document for Land Registry will be published.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Land Registry's revised framework document is published today. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	Land Registry became an executive agency in July 1990 and a trading fund since 1993. During that period it has met improving financial, customer service and development targets whilst making land registration services progressively more efficient and cheaper.
	The framework document sets out the framework within which Land Registry operates. In particular, it describes the flexibilities it has in terms of financial and human resource management. It also sets out its responsibilities to its customers and its accountability to myself and to Parliament. The document has been produced following a major review of Land Registry's status and business operations in 2000. The report of that review was published in the summer of 2001.
	On 13 October, the Land Registration Act 2002 was implemented signalling the most significant legislative reform for Land Registry since 1925. The changes to the operation of the registry that have been brought about by the Act are reflected in the new document.

Postal Voting: Pilots for June 2004

Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will list the regions that they propose to use as pilot areas for all-postal voting in the European and local elections in June 2004.

Lord Filkin: The Electoral Commission was asked to recommend up to three regions or nations that might be able to pilot all-postal voting, and which of these regions would be most suitable to include an e-enabled element.
	It published its recommendations on 8 December, concluding that the north-east is most suitable, followed by the East Midlands. The Electoral Commission also then ranked a number of other regions "which could be potentially suitable" but for which it felt unable to make a positive recommendation. These regions, ranked in order of potential suitability, are Scotland, Yorkshire & the Humber, the north-west and the West Midlands.
	The Electoral Commission concluded that the remaining regions are not suitable for a pilot in time for the June 2004 elections. Moreover, they also recommended that no region would be suitable to conduct an electronic voting pilot.
	The Government are immensely grateful to the Electoral Commission for conducting such a thorough and sophisticated study on this issue, ranking the regions against the criteria.
	The Government accept the commission's recommendations not to proceed with any electronic voting on a regional scale in the June 2004 elections. However, it remains committed to the development of e-voting channels and will continue to work with local authorities and others to pilot these methods at future local elections.
	We remain keen, however, to proceed with all-postal voting in three regions. In scaling up towards an e-enabled multi-channel general election after 2006, we believe that pressing ahead with a wider range and variation of piloting provides the best opportunity to learn lessons and develop capabilities in these newer electoral techniques.
	The Government intend to pilot all-postal voting in the north-east and the East Midlands and we are also minded to proceed with all-postal voting in a third region or nation.
	The Electoral Commission have been helpful in saying "that there are a number of other regions which could potentially be suitable for conducting an all-postal pilot scheme". The Government will now consider in more detail each of these further potential candidates, with a view to announcing, in the coming few weeks, where the third all-postal pilot could take place.
	There are good grounds for further consideration in several of the potentially suitable regions, and it is right that we do not rush into a decision on the third pilot, given the advice from the Electoral Commission. For example, although Scotland is well placed for a pilot because it has no local elections, there were some reservations voiced by returning officers which require consideration. We therefore intend to discuss the issues raised by the Scottish returning officers with them over the coming few weeks to see if concerns can be ameliorated and any difficulties ironed out. Similarly, the Electoral Commission also took into consideration the preferences of some returning officers in different parts of regions such as Yorkshire & the Humber, and in the north-west. Further scrutiny by my department of these issues will now take place so that we can conclude which third all-postal voting pilot will proceed.
	The Electoral Commission has indicated that it regards this way forward as consistent with its report and recommendations. All-postal voting in the north-east, East Midlands and in a third region or nation will not only improve the opportunity for turnout in those areas, but also give voters a more convenient method of expressing their democratic choice in the June elections. The Electoral Commission will report on the lessons learned from these pilots, so that in future these new opportunities can be rolled out on a wider scale.

Drug Couriers

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to A Bitter Pill to Swallow—The Sentencing of foreign national drug couriers, which was published in November by Rethinking Crime and Punishment.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government welcome Rethinking Crime and Punishment's contribution to the debate on best ways of handling drug traffickers. The main thrust of its recommendations is that drug couriers should be considered for community sentences and that arrangements should be made to allow Jamaican offenders sentenced to community penalities in the United Kingdom to serve them in Jamaica. It is for the court to consider in each case what sentence would be appropriate, taking into account all the circumstances of the offence and the offender. However, importation of drugs is a serious offence and it is unlikely that a community penalty would be appropriate. Enabling community sentences to be served in Jamaica would require changes to Jamaican as well as British legislation. More generally, the Government are continuing to work with the Jamaican authorities to put in place an assistance programme for Jamaica, including on security, crime and the underlying causes of crime and violence. A specific initiative begun in 2002 by the Jamaican authorities and supported by the United Kingdom has been instrumental in reducing significantly the number of couriers with internal concealments travelling in and being detected in the United Kingdom.

Armed Forces Pay Review Body

Baroness Hilton of Eggardon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who has been appointed or reappointed to the Armed Forces Pay Review Board.

Lord Bach: We are pleased to announce that we have appointed Mr Robert Burgin and Dr Peter Knight for a three-year term of office as members of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body commencing February 2004. Mr Neil Sherlock is also reappointed for a second three-year term from March 2004. These appointments and reappointment have been conducted in accordance with the guidance of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Prime Minister has announced earlier today that he is appointing Professor David Greenaway as the next chairman of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.

C Vehicle Capability: Preferred Bidder

Lord Williams of Elvel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who has been selected to provide the C Vehicle Capability for the Armed Forces.

Lord Bach: We intend to enter into a number of public-private partnerships, which will bring greater flexibility to our Armed Forces and increase the involvement of our defence industrial base. Under the private finance initiative deal, the Amey Lex Consortium has been chosen as the preferred bidder to provide the C Vehicle Capability for the services, both in peace time and for forces on operations.
	The contract will cover all heavy plant equipment as well as logistic support and construction machines required by the Armed Forces. Many of these components are used in digging, dozing, lifting and transporting. The great utility of this equipment could be seen on recent operations, building and maintaining the infrastructure for our troops. The contract is valued at over £500 million for the 15-year period.
	Among the benefits are a more rapid fleet turnover, which will allow changes in technology and fleet management processes to be introduced more quickly and will reduce the maintenance and supply burden thereby benefiting front-line troops.
	The best elements of commercial practice will be used to support maintenance and repair, providing the opportunity to reduce spares holdings and to adopt a strategic pooling approach to the provision of the capability.
	This is an excellent opportunity for defence suppliers to play a major part in ensuring our military capability is truly flexible in order to meet our future commitments.

Project Aquatrine: Preferred Bidder

Baroness Nicol: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who has been selected as the preferred bidder for the final contract for Project Aquatrine to provide water and wastewater services to MoD sites in Scotland.

Lord Bach: NEVIS Water has today been announced as the preferred bidder for the third and final contract for Project Aquatrine which will provide water and wastewater services to MoD sites within Scotland.
	Project Aquatrine is one of the Government's leading and most significant public/private partnership (PPP) projects and will transfer the responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the department's water and wastewater assets and infrastructure throughout Great Britain to private sector providers. This project will enable the transfer of environmental risk to those in the private sector who are best placed to manage it. This 25-year contact will enable the MoD to exit a non-core activity and concentrate its efforts on delivering military capability.
	This contract is expected to go live in November 2004 following a pre-commencement period.
	This announcement follows the appointment of BREY Utilities for Package A in April 2003, which went live on 1 December 2003 and the appointment of C2C, on 12 November 2003, as preferred bidder for Package C.

Universities: Media Studies Enrolments

Lord Baker of Dorking: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many universities provide courses in media studies, and how many students are taking courses in that subject.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The latest available data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), show that 54 universities, and 17 HE institutions provided media studies courses in 2001–02. The number of students on these courses is shown in the table.
	
		Numbers of enrolments(1) on media studies(2) courses by type of institution and level of study -- Institutions in the UK: 2001–02
		
			  Student Enrolments 2001–02 
			 Institution Type Postgraduate Undergraduate Total 
			 Universities 1,410 12,461 13,871 
			 Other HEIs 263 3,364 3,627 
			 Total 1,673 15,825 17,498 
			 Media Studies as per cent  of all enrolments 0.4 per cent 1.0 per cent 0.9 per cent 
		
	
	(1) Based on a census count of students as at 1 December.
	(2) Includes courses where the main subject was Media Studies, but excludes courses in other subjects which have subsidiary components or modules in Media Studies.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Lord Barnett: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the current number of students in universities and colleges of higher education in England and Wales.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The latest available information is shown in the table. Since 1996–97, enrolments in English and Welsh HE institutions have increased by 12 per cent.
	
		HE student enrolments(1) at English and Welsh HE institutions, 2001–02
		
			 English Institutions Welsh Institutions 
			 1,594,367 104,680 
		
	
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
	(1) Figures cover students from the UK and overseas enrolled on postgraduate or undergraduate level courses.

Schools: ICT

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What educational research they have conducted into the relationship between pupil achievement and computer use.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The ImpaCT2 research, published in October 2002, indicated that in some subjects ICT can raise standards by the equivalent of half a grade at GCSE or an additional term's progress at key stages 2 and 3.
	Analyses of Ofsted data and national examination and test scores suggest that schools with good ICT learning opportunities deliver higher standards, regardless of the socio-economic context of the school.

Schools: ICT

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What, for the most recent financial year for which figures are available, was the annual budget for information technology in schools as compared with the budget for more traditional learning resources, such as books.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Department for Education and Skills does not routinely set or collect data on school budgets for traditional learning resources, such as books. The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Schools Survey 2003 reports that schools in England recorded a total expenditure of £439 million on ICT in 2002–03.

Olympic Games 2012: London Bid and Transport System

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are concerned that the current serious difficulties on the London Underground system may damage the bid for London to hold the 2012 summer Olympic Games.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Transport is critical to a successful Olympic Games and one of the key criteria by which the IOC evaluates bid cities. We are confident that London's transport system—including London Underground—is more than up to the task.
	The Olympic Transport Strategy team, based in Transport for London (TfL), is drawing up the transport plan for a London Olympics. This will seek to make the best use of London's transport infrastructure—one of the most extensive networks of urban public transport in the world—to provide safe, secure and reliable transport during the Games. Stratford is particularly well served, with seven rail lines running through the Olympic Zone. This will work in our favour. Moreover, extensive improvements are already planned for the London transport system, including the London Underground PPP, which will deliver on average over £1 billion of investment every year for the next 15 years. ra

Capital Modernisation Programme

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish details of the Capital Modernisation Fund Programme; and
	Which governing bodies of sport have been selected for the Capital Modernisation Programme; and what were the criteria employed in their selection.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The allocation of funds from the Capital Modernisation Fund to support amateur sports clubs was announced by my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in November 2002. The governing bodies which are included in the resulting Community Club Development Programme were announced in May 2003, as follows: the Rugby Football Union, the Football Association, the England and Wales Cricket Board, and the Lawn Tennis Association have been allocated £9.4 million each over the period 2003–04 to 2005–06.
	The following governing bodies have been allocated £20 million between them over these three years:
	the Badminton Association of England,
	England Basketball,
	the British Canoe Union,
	British Cycling,
	British Gymnastics,
	the English Hockey Federation,
	the British Judo Association,
	the All England Netball Association,
	the Amateur Rowing Association,
	the Rugby Football League,
	the Amateur Swimming Association, and
	the English Table Tennis Association.
	These allocations are subject to the amounts of governing bodies' bids to utilise funds from the programme, and on the acceptance of their bids to do so.
	The above governing bodies were selected on the basis of numbers of affiliated clubs, and ability to deliver rapid progress in line with the strategic objectives of the programme.
	Of the £60 million allocated to the programme, £20 million (being the allocation for 2003–04) is from the Capital Modernisation Fund. The allocation of £40 million over 2004–05 and 2005–06 will come from other Exchequer sources.

Crystal Palace Stadium and Sports Centre

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In view of the briefing given by a Sport England client manager to staff at Crystal Palace on 8 December that the decommissioning of the site could start on 23 February 2004, what are the Government's intentions regarding the future of Crystal Palace as a centre of sporting excellence.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Sport England's lease for the stadium and sports centre at Crystal Palace ends on 31 March 2004 when it will revert to the London Borough of Bromley. Urgent discussions are taking place between Bromley, the Greater London Authority and Sport England to secure a long-term future for the site and to ensure that in the short term Crystal Palace is able to host Grand Prix athletics.

Sports Boards: Appointments

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What appointments have been made to the Sports Boards in England since their formation.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Regional Sport Board Chairs who have been appointed by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport are listed in the table. Lord Warner of Brockley was appointed as chair of the London Regional Sports Board in December 2002 but stepped down in June 2003 on his appointment as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health. Richard Sumray is the acting chair of the London Regional Sports Board.
	
		Regional Sport Board Chairs
		
			 Region Chair 
			 East Sir Robin Miller 
			 East Midlands Leonard Jackson 
			 South East Mary McAnally 
			 South West Ged Roddy 
			 London Richard Sumray (acting) 
			 North East Tim Cantle Jones 
			 North West Andy Worthington 
			 Yorkshire Peter Price 
			 West Midlands appointment of chair outstanding

Domesday Book: MoD and NHS Sports Facilities

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether Ministry of Defence sports facilities and National Health Service sports grounds will be listed in the Domesday Book of sports facilities.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Ministry of Defence and National Health Service sports facilities will be recorded in the Domesday Book, provided they fall under one of the categories of facilities which are to be included in the book.
	Facilities to be included are sports halls; swimming pools; indoor tennis facilities; indoor bowls facilities; athletics tracks; synthetic turf pitches; health and fitness facilities; playing fields; and golf courses.

Playing Pitch Strategies

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many, and which, (a) district councils; (b) county councils; and (c) unitary councils have in place playing pitch strategies.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The number of district, county and unitary councils with playing pitch strategies in place is increasing. While no definitive list exists, a number of measures have recently been introduced that should ensure that the number of councils adopting effective playing pitch strategies continues to increase.
	The Government are advocating the assessment of local needs for sport and recreation facilities and this is emphasised strongly in PPG 17, the Planning Guidance for Open Space, Sport and Recreation published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in July 2002.
	In addition, the New Opportunities Fund Green Spaces programme, managed by Sport England, provides funding for local authority studies of sporting needs. Sport England has also produced revised guidance which makes the carrying out of local authority sporting assessments easier.

Export of Works of Art: Reviewing Committee's 2002–03 Annual Report

Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will publish the 2002–03 annual report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The 49th report of the reviewing committee on the Export of Works of Art for 2002–03 was laid before Parliament earlier today. The reviewing committee provides independent advice to the Minister of State for the Arts on whether cultural objects that are the subject of applications for export licences are of outstanding national importance, using the Waverley criteria. During the year, following recommendations from the reviewing committee, temporary bars were placed on the export of 23 items, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, armour and jewellery. Of these, 11 items valued at £4.2 million, were purchased by institutions in the UK. The report contains the reviewing committee's comments on policy matters relating to the operation of the export control and the protection of cultural objects and details of each case considered during the reporting year 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003.
	The review will also be available on the DCMS website http://www.culture.gov.uk.

Fishing Licences: Spanish Interests

Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which fishing and trawler licences have been sold and transferred to Spanish trawlers during each of the past 10 years both from individual sales and fishing groups.

Lord Whitty: The only fishing vessels licensed by the Government and the devolved administrations are those registered in the United Kingdom by the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen or by the relevant authorities in Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey. Comprehensive records on the beneficial ownership of such vessels are not maintained but based on advice from coastal fisheries offices it is estimated the following number of vessels have been part or wholly owned by Spanish interests in each year since 1996.
	
		
			  Number 
			 1996 107 
			 1997 107 
			 1998 97 
			 1999 81 
			 2000 71 
			 2001 75 
			 2002 69 
			 2003 66 
			  
		
	
	Information on the individual licensing transactions affecting these vessels is not readily available but the overall number of licences held by Spanish interests will have fallen broadly in with the decline in vessel numbers.

Carbon Emissions: EU Trading Arrangements

The Duke of Montrose: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they expect to issue their draft plan for the implementation of the European Union carbon emissions trading arrangements.

Lord Whitty: The UK intends to publish a draft National Allocation Plan (NAP) for consultation in January 2004. The draft NAP will set out the total quantity of allowances which the UK intends to issue, a list of installations and their indicative allocations of carbon allowances or the duration for the first phase of the scheme, together with details on the treatment of new entrants.
	The EU Emissions Trading Directive requires all member states to submit their national allocation plans to the European Commission by the end of March 21004 and to make final decisions on the allocation of allowances by the end of September 2004.

Carbon Emissions: EU Trading Arrangements

The Duke of Montrose: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the proposal for the licensing of carbon emissions would begin with actual historic levels or would be calculated on the basis of actual historic levels.

Lord Whitty: The EU Emissions Trading Scheme is due to begin in 2005. The UK intends to publish a draft National Allocation Plan (NAP) for consultation in January 2004; in which the method for allocating carbon allowances will be set out.
	The EU Emissions Trading Directive requires that the total level of emissions reductions required from the scheme is consistent with member states achieving their Kyoto Protocol emissions targets and with their national climate change policies. Therefore, historic levels of emissions, output or input metrics may be used to allocate this total level of emissions to sectors and installations.

Cattle Passports

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many cattle passports have been issued each year since the start of the scheme.

Lord Whitty: In the period 1 July 1996 to 28 September 1998 6,388,549 cattle births were registered and passports issued by UK authorities.
	Since the opening of the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) the annual GB birth registration and first issue of passport figures have been:
	1998 614,147 (28 September–31 December)
	1999 2,946,717
	2000 3,025,859
	2001 2,680,928
	2002 2,869,511
	2003 2,841,378 (to 3 December 2003)

Cattle Passports

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What has been the total cost of the cattle passport scheme in each year since its inception; and what is the breakdown for each year of (a) staff costs; (b) developing and maintaining the necessary software; (c) the associated hardware; and (d) any other costs.

Lord Whitty: The British Cattle Movement Service was set up in 1998 to administer the cattle passport scheme. The staff costs for the service since that time are as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 1998–99 2.66 
			 1999–2000 6.56 
			 2000–01 6.67 
			 2001–02 7.75 
			 2002–03 8.85 
		
	
	The cattle passport scheme is administered using the cattle tracing system which cost £14.3 million to develop. In the past two years, maintenance of the Cattle Tracing System has cost £1.1 million and £1 million respectively and software to support the scheme cost £2.88 million and £5.5 million respectively. Non-pay costs in the years 2002–03 were:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 1998–99 2.76 
			 1999–2000 5.49 
			 2000–01 6.58 
			 2001–02 6.49 
			 2002–03 6.94 
		
	
	Prior to 1998, the cattle passport scheme was administered by regional offices of the then MAFF. Figures for this period are not available as they are incorporated into the running costs of other schemes. Development costs before 2002 were administered from budgets outside of the service.

Audit Scotland

Lord Roberts of Conwy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the audit arrangements in Scotland corresponding to those proposed for Wales in the Public Audit (Wales) Bill.

Lord Evans of Temple Guiting: Audit arrangements in Scotland are governed by the provisions of the Scotland Act 1999 and the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000 (PFA). The post of Auditor-General for Scotland was established under Section 69 of the Scotland Act and Audit Scotland was established under Section 10 of the PFA. The board of Audit Scotland consists of the Auditor-General, the chairman of the Accounts Commission and three other members. Audit Scotland supports the Auditor-General and the Accounts Commission to secure the audit of relevant accounts and to ensure that organisations spending public money in Scotland use it properly, efficiently and effectively.

A1 Roundabouts

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government: claire
	Which roundabouts on the A1 trunk road they have no plans to change to grade separated junctions; and when they expect to have such plans for each roundabout concerned.

Lord Davies of Oldham: There are no plans to change the following roundabouts to grade separated junctions:
	A1 Buckden
	A1/A421 Black Cat
	A1/A603 Sandy
	A1/A6001 Biggleswade North
	A1/A6001 Biggleswade South
	A1 Berwick Bypass at Scremeston, East Ord and Highfield

Motorway Widening Programme: Cost Per Mile

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the estimated cost per mile for each motorway of the current motorway widening programme.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The estimated cost per route mile for each motorway scheme in the current motorway widening programme is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 M1 Junctions 6A–10: 22.9 
			 M1 Junctions 10–13: 25.4 
			 M6 Carlisle—Guardsmill Extension: 17.1 
			 M25 Junctions 12–15: 19.7 
			 M60 Junctions 5–8: 24.4